OC communication and psychology students receive awards

Friday, May 21, 2010

Oklahoma Christian University students in the communication and psychology departments were recognized for excellence in their fields in the spring semester.

Dustin Kaps received three first place awards in the student competition co-hosted by the Oklahoma Broadcast Educators Association and the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Kaps’ awards were in the promotional, commercial and music video categories. Clinton Corley received a second place award in the sports programming category. OBEA’s annual student competition draws nearly 300 entries from public and private colleges across Oklahoma.

In addition, Carlos Abello and Dustin were selected to attend the selective Los Angeles Film Studies program this summer. This program is designed to integrate a Christian worldview with an introductory exploration of the work and workings of mainstream Hollywood entertainment. It is located in one of the primary film and television production centers in L.A. and utilizes state of the art camera and editing equipment.

“These dedicated students are very deserving of these impressive honors,” said Larry Jurney, chair of the communication department. “Dustin’s recognition is particularly impressive because it is the first time a single OC student has won three first place awards in that statewide competition.”

In addition, 10 Oklahoma Christian students attended the 30th Annual Great Plains Student Psychology Convention this spring. The students presented the results of six empirical studies, and they won four awards competing against the University of Nebraska, Kansas State and the University of Central Missouri, among other universities from Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.

Jennifer Rosenbalm won first place in her section with her study titled “The effects of gender and attire on perceived levels of expertness and recall.”

Tim Wills won second place for his research titled “The effects of winning and losing feedback on cognitive performance.”

Jillian Holley and Anastasia Marquez won second place for their paper titled “If you’re happy and you know it: The effects of mood and gum on the recall of words.”

Susan Hardin and Lacy Rosenbalm won third place for their project titled “Presenter effects on test-taking and stress levels.”

According to Ryan Newell, chair of the department of psychology and family studies, the Great Plains Convention, with a total of 180 presenters, is one of the largest undergraduate research conferences.

“We are very proud of the accomplishments of these excellent psychology and family studies majors,” Newell said.